Vanilla killers: The chillingly original ice cream flavors sweeping the U.S.

According to a recent survey by the International Dairy Foods Association, those are the three most popular ice cream flavors among Americans---with rocky road, coffee and Neapolitan tied for distant fourth.

And now let's cast those dull spoons aside and dig into some far wilder flavors being scooped by a movement of premium ice cream re-thinkers and out-of-the-carton trend-setters from coast to coast.

\"I think people are open to new and less conventional ice cream flavors more than ever these days,\" says Sam Kopicko, co-owner of Sweet Action Ice Cream, a Denver-based ice cream shop with garam masala, vegan carrot cake, and biscuits + jam flavors on the menu -- in addition to a bestseller featuring local whiskey. \"A lot of our customers seem pretty excited about trying flavors they probably won't find anywhere else.\"

So by all means, keep enjoying vanilla bean and mint chip. But on the eve of National Ice Cream Month (July), just know that this is not where your ice cream adventure needs to end this summer.

Here are some palate-broadening flavors around the country to push your future waffle cone way beyond the same old tired chocolate chunks and caramel ribbon.

Golden summer fig (Creole Creamery, New Orleans)

\"Beautiful floral notes, a bit of wild honey, and the jammy-goodness of local figs create a melange of perfect summer sweetness,\" says chef Bryan Gilmore about Creole Creamery's popular summer flavor, which features saffron ice cream, orange blossom honey and a swirl of Louisiana fig preserves.

The namesake flavor here is Creole cream cheese made from a local farm-style cheese -- \"a quintessential old-school New Orleans ice cream flavor that was in everybody's grandma's icebox growing up,\" adds Gilmore.

Made with Colorado whiskey that's distilled down the street from the ice cream shop, \"it tastes exactly like a cold whiskey on the rocks,\" says co-owner Sam Kopicko. \"We definitely recommend this one as an adult flavor.\"

\"Every herb we use in our ice creams has been used for aromatherapy or herbal therapy, and they all have health benefits,\" says Mashti Malone's co-founder Mehdi Shirvani, who augments ice cream palates with Middle Eastern-influenced flavors like orange blossom, lavender and \"herbal snow\" (a rosewater-based sorbet laced with five herbal seeds including basil and poppy).

\"We make a great cookies 'n cream too,\" says Shirvani. \"But most of our customers come here for flavors they will not find anywhere else.\"